Life after Scientology: The post-Sea Org baby boom - 2014-05-27

Yesterday, we mentioned that there's been something of a baby boom among former Scientology officials who left the church in a small wave in the last several years.

We thought we'd follow up on that by pointing out that leaving the Church of Scientology appears to be very beneficial for the people who accomplish it.

Not that it's easy. Marc Headley explained in his escape narrative Blown for Good that one of the ways the church controls 'Sea Org' workers — who sign billion-year contracts and work for pennies an hour — is by convincing them that if they leave the quasi-naval organization, they'd soon perish in a cruel outside world, bereft of skills or money. Fear of that outside world, or of being 'disconnected' by family members who remain in the church, can keep a person from leaving, or convince them to return even if they manage to get away.